Up in the Clouds – San Francisco, CA
DETAILS
Architect: Michael Hennessey Architecture
Builder: A L Martin Construction
Landscape Design: Cobble & Forge
Recognition
Exterior Cladding
CUSTOM FSC®-certified Shou Sugi Ban cladding
FSC®-certified: FSC® mix 70%
Select Grade
Tongue & Groove (T&G)
Interior Ceiling Cladding
SNOHOMISH Western Hemlock
Clear Vertical Grain (CVG)
T&G with 1/8″ milled-in reveal
LEWIS Western Hemlock
CVG
T&G with 1/8″ milled-in reveal
Up in the Clouds reinterprets the spirit of a 1962 Joseph Eichler home in San Francisco’s Diamond Heights. The remodel introduces a fourth-floor gathering room build-out, connected to the rest of the home and yard by a steel bridge. Inside, a simplified floor plan reshapes the interior to draw more natural light from the courtyard, strengthening the relationship between shared spaces and the surrounding landscape.
At the bedroom level, SNOHOMISH Western Hemlock cladding was used for a structural rebuild of the ceiling assembly. Selected as a close approximation to the original T&G boards common in Eichler construction, and milled to specification with a 1/8″ reveal, the lighter finish helps pull daylight deeper into the room. The upper-level addition features LEWIS Western Hemlock ceiling cladding, chosen for the subtle shifts in color that bring a sense of lift and distinction to the new top floor. The material palette intentionally steps away from the more historically-driven design in the lower levels, introducing a modern, cohesive termination to the top of the building when viewed by the nearby hillside.
On the exterior, outdated aluminum panels from a previous renovation were removed. As a replacement, the design team sought a material that paid homage to the home’s original plywood siding but delivered more protection against the elements. We provided several product samples that were critical to making the final decision on aesthetics and articulation of the boards. After working through the sample selections with our Specification Consultant, a CUSTOM Shou Sugi Ban cladding in a simple T&G profile was selected to keep the vertical lines subtle, and to further increase the longevity of the exterior.
